When companies typically think of marketing and advertising, the first thing they tend to focus their attention on is social media and the SEO of their site. After all, that’s the status quo nowadays. However, marketing can be so much more than that with the simple inclusion of print pieces done expertly using a high-quality printer or copier.
For starters, a direct mail campaign can target new potential customers locally you wouldn’t have been able to target otherwise, it will incentivize past customers to return again, and will show any and all consumers you engage with that you are a professional business. These three reasons alone are more than enough proof as to why a direct mail campaign is essential for any serious business looking to expand its clientele.
According to Entrepreneur, a direct mail campaign is “A marketing effort that uses a mail service to deliver a promotional printed piece to your target audience. Direct mail encompasses a wide variety of marketing materials, including brochures, catalogs, postcards, newsletters and sales letters.”
By simply choosing to incorporate a direct mail campaign into your current marketing strategy, you could reach out to your local target audience with ease and be sure to see incredible results from a few copier pieces alone.
To better understand how to truly utilize this campaign format to its full potential, let’s take a look at the top five things necessary to be extremely successful using direct mail strategies.
- A Strong Outreach List
The first thing you will want to do when formulating a direct mail campaign is determine who it will be sent to. There are many ways to do this but the most effective way is to focus on locals and past clients.
According to Small Biz Trends, “80-90 percent of direct mail gets opened [while] only 20-30 percent of email gets opened on a good day.” The big thing to take into account is that, with direct mail, you don’t have to worry about seeming pushy. The average consumer actually doesn’t mind unsolicited mail as much as they do unsolicited emails or texts.
Therefore, begin by compiling a list of local names and addresses that may be beneficial to you, take a look at who has been on your store and considered a purchase or who signed up to your newsletter, and also add your past clients on this list as well. Once this is complete, you will have an extensive list sure to gain traction for your business.
- A Good Design
The next thing you will want to focus on is the design of your direct mail piece. Will it be a brochure or a postcard? Does it have a lot of copy or just a few sentences? Will there be bright vivid colors or will you simply stick to the brand colors?
These are the questions you will need to answer to create a design piece that resonates with your audience. Without a high-quality design, your content won’t be nearly as influential. In fact, according to Nonstop Signs, 93 percent of people said visuals affect their purchase decision.
The design must be sharp, crisp, bright, and eye-catching. This is why it is said that a color copier can revolutionize your next mailing campaign. With the right appearance, it gives off the impression that your company is not afraid to take the extra time and spend the extra money to do their marketing right which shows professionalism and dedication. Along with expertly written copy, your direct mail campaign is sure to resonate with all of your given readers with ease.
- Copy That Resonates With Readers
In a way, copy and design are the yin and yang of all marketing campaigns. Without good copy, the design doesn’t matter, and vice versa. As such, having copy that resonates with its readers is highly important.
A good place to start is with your brand identity and your buyer persona interests. If your target audience loves local, community-centric companies, it may be best to focus on these aspects of your brand. Whereas, if your audience prefers more professional tones and content, you may want to create copy that is sophisticated and less ‘down-to-earth’.
Furthermore, nowadays, the vast majority of consumers want to work with green businesses that are aware of the environment in all that they do. As such, they may not appreciate a direct mail campaign that doesn’t make it known that these print pieces were done in an eco-friendly manner.
Fortunately, this is your time to shine by using a printing option such as our eco-friendly multifunctional copier that not only utilizes a biomass plant-based material but also reduces energy consumption over time likewise.
In this way, you will resonate with the countless readers out there concerned about the sustainability of the companies they associate with whilst also saving money on energy and low-grade toners in the process.
- An Incentive
Incentives are one of the most powerful aspects of direct mail campaigns. In fact, direct mail’s motivation response is 20 percent higher than digital media’s motivation response. This means that the average direct mail campaign with an incentive in it gets 20 percent more engagement than a digital media campaign with the exact same incentive.
The incentive you choose is important as you will want it to be something you can achieve even if every person on your list responded to it. The big mistake companies make is giving away something they can’t really give away effectively without losing money in the process.
Instead, focus on simple things like a 10 percent discount on a purchase or a ‘buy one get one free’ coupon. These are attainable and still make money for the business in the process.
- A Quality Printer
Lastly, the most important thing you will need when creating a successful direct mail campaign is a quality printer option. The vast majority of highly successful marketing teams utilize only the best printers and copiers possible. The reason for this is, just as a first impression matters when meeting a new person, the first mail they receive from you matters as well.
Although there are many printers out there, each one is tailored for specific needs of a business which is why the printer and copier purchase process is so important when it comes to direct mail campaigns.
For instance, a smaller company may do best with a lower-volume inkjet printer or copier. The reason for this is that an inkjet printer is optimal for handling smaller batches of prints and is also less detailed likewise.
As your business grows, so will your printer and copier needs. This is where a higher volume, full-color laser printer and copier would be ideal. Essentially, simply double your current print needs and this is how much volume your printer must accomplish.
Therefore, smaller businesses should stick with devices like the Konica Minolta Bizhub C227 as they are far less complex and can handle the smaller direct mail campaigns with ease.
Similarly, medium and big businesses should stick with devices like the Konica Minolta Bizhub C558 which is a far more complex Konica device which is able to handle the more in-depth direct mail campaigns out there.
In the end, if you still are unsure of which option is right for you, be sure to check out our decision making tree to get the best answer possible with ease.
With this said, new color copiers for marketing teams allow them to create print pieces that are visually stunning, professional, and give off the impression that their businesses are dedicated in all that they do.
Furthermore, if your team doesn’t feel as though they can handle all of this on their own, managed print services can help to alleviate that stress and let you focus on the copy, design, and overall results instead.
In the end, printers and copiers should never be forgotten by marketing teams and companies looking to expand their brand. Instead, with a bit of work and a high-quality printer, you can see explosive results and an ROI that is sure to blow your mind in no time—no fine ‘print’ attached.
